The “Ally is quite bored” giveaway is because Ally (me) is graduated from fashion school, and has nothing to do and well, the summer is on its way and I would like to make something right this instant.
So heres the deal, I will make a super special, one of a kind, custom fit, sundress/skirt to the random winning blogger of my choosing and she/he can pick the style and fabric print/color(s) of their choosing. (Including but not limited to the ones above).
RULES:
- There isn’t a max on reblogs but please don’t spam your followers thats just annoying.
- ‘Likes’ don’t and will not count.
- You don’t have to be following me but my label page is (here) I don’t update all that often.
- You MUST have an ask box so if you win we can talk about your awesome new stuff and where I’m supposed to send this.
- Even if you don’t win I will gladly sell one to you with the same specifications just put something in my ask box.
- Don’t have to live in the US.
- If chosen as the winner, I do reserve the right to deny your choice in fabric/style because of price. Sorry I’m not rich. However, you still will be the winner and will get your giveaway prize.
- I will make it based on the EXACT measurements you give me. Its not my fault if you don’t know how to use a measuring tape properly.
Ends
May 15th, 2012If this gets enough notes I will choose two winners.
Thanks Everyone.
Ally is actually VERY bored.
Giveaway ends Midnight PST April 30th, 2012
Now THIS is an awesome sort of giveaway.
(via nerdlock)
![alexds1:
markspics:
Math
:[__________]
Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. It’s a paradox; there IS no answer! Unless the question itself is not multiple choice. Then … math.](http://i.imgur.com/4r8uO.jpg)
Minor ASOS spoilers based on who’s still around and how people look.
Continuing with these, here’s a batch of characters from A Storm of Swords. I’m getting to a lot of the more minor/supporting characters now, and it turns out a lot of them are a blast to draw.
I love getting the chance to play with so much facial variation in all these. FACES. They’re pretty great.
Nearly finished with A Feast for Crows. Didn’t hate it, but it was a bit slow and uneventful. I get that it’s largely necessary setup, though.
I didn’t find Brienne or her chapters boring at all, and this seems to be an unpopular opinion in some circles. I’ve seen lots of comments to the tune of “you must have mistyped; you used Brienne and interesting in the same sentence,” “GRRM has to drop her POVs after her disastrous debut in AFFC,” or “Way too much Brienne in AFFC.” Maybe I just over-empathize with her, or perhaps I was just glad for any chapter where the first word wasn’t CERSEI (I found Cersei’s chapters kind of repetitive, as I said), but I always looked forward to Brienne’s chapters.
Of course, I liked most of the Dornish stuff (though I find Areo Hotah a super dull POV), and I didn’t mind the Greyjoys or Sam once I got past the first few pages of their chapters, so I seem to be full of unpopular AFFC opinions.
Speaking of Game of Thrones- talking about the books, and seeing people talk about the books, I saw a lot of hate for these three characters, and so this set of videos was interesting to watch. I love Brienne, Asha, Arya etc also, super hard, but it was bothersome that the three main ‘traditional’ female characters often seemed so disliked. Not every lady can go swinging swords in that kind of world, and there sometimes seemed to be a lack of empathy or understanding of their position and choices, or what was available to them, or how their characters were shaped by their society, how they fought against convention in different ways. Anyway, I liked all these characters, as characters. Even if they are bad guys, Martin does such a great job of making them complex and interesting and great.
It’s always nice to read posts like this instead of the intense and excessive hate I usually see. You don’t have to like every character or find them interesting, but wishing intense harm to them because they’re “weak,” “boring/hate their husband’s bastard kid,” or “sluts” is more than a little concerning. I can empathize with all three. That doesn’t mean they’re my favorites (I often found Cat’s chapters a bit dull, and I think a lot of Cersei’s chapters are repetitive and her constant antagonism toward most everyone wearisome). I mostly get why they do the things they do, even if I often don’t like or agree with it. I admire their dedication to their famiies and their incredible resilience in thr face of awful situations. I’ve come to love Sansa. She starts as incredibly naive and a bit frail, but she has some fire in her, and a subtle steely strength that sees her through perilous and horrific circumstances. Her ability to still find hope and beauty in spite of everything is incredible, and she’s growing into someone really interesting.
On Endings
People’s tweets about the ending of a game I haven’t played (I don’t have a PC or Xbox and I can’t bring myself to start on part 2 of a series) have made me consider what kinds of endings I like and don’t like in a story.
IN GENERAL:
Dislike—Endings where everything wraps up neatly with a nice bow, where everyone’s happy and everything’s all better. Conversely, endings that are wholly and overwhelmingly grim, hopeless, and discouraging.
Like—Bittersweet, complicated, messy endings. Some things are resolved, but some never are. Some people end up happy and okay, some end up wholly destroyed literally or figuratively, and many wind up somewhere in between. Some “villains” are overcome but some get away, some “heroes” lose (but maybe stay true to what they believe in) and some triumph (but maybe at a cost that may not be truly worth it). Ideally, the line between heroes and villains blurs a little by the end of things. I especially like it when you manage to get both a sense of “This thing that’s consumed our lives is over, so … now what?” and “Nothing is ever TRULY over,” even though that sounds a bit contradictory.
As I said, that’s in general. There are occasional stories where all the setup warrants either a largely sunny or resoundingly dark finish. I can accept that when the story earns it. By and large, though, I just like things to be a little messy and complicated. Because that’s life. I prefer mixed emotions, and I want it to hurt at least a little. I want it to feel like a finish, but I don’t want it all to be neat. Above all, I want it to be earned.
Exploration!
I’ve lived in the same city for all my life (a 3 month stint in England aside). I’ve always been a suburbanite, though, so I barely know any of the downtown area. Now that I’m working in the middle of the city, I’m making it my mission to learn my way around on foot during my lunch breaks.
Before today, I hadn’t gone exploring since college. Venturing forth with no clear destination in mind has always been oddly invigorating for me. You never know what you’ll find or where you’ll end up! This time I found a lunch place that sells stuffed pretzels and includes freshly made tea cookies with them.
I’m excited to see where all I end up!
Question:
* Can I know another Ed? I like Ed. * And maybe a Loren if there's anything I don't know from working on CoM. :D
Asked by prawnlegs
Answer:
Ed would be flattered by all this sudden attention. There is nothing he likes better.
* Ed’s reasons for appointing** Devon as his successor are largely selfish. He feels that having his little brother follow him will keep him closer to the forefront of people’s minds, and he has this romantic notion of establishing a Holt dynasty at Renerra, of which he will always be the first and greatest. In his fantasies, Thera (their younger sister) will attend the school and follow in Devon’s footsteps. He also has the (largely mistaken) impression that he has molded Devon in his image enough that he’ll leave most of what Ed did and built largely unchanged. He also hoped that giving his little brother what HE always wanted (control, power, agency, respect) will make Devon love/respect/like him. He would never admit it to himself, but it kills him that his family members are the people who should love and adore him most, but also the only people who he can’t seem to win over.
* Loren is multi-lingual! In addition to her Sentiology courses, she takes introductory level courses on a number of different languages, so she has a basic vocabulary in a lot of random tongues. In addition to the most widely spoken Maean language and UCL, she is also fluent in the principal Cairidoation language. She is in intermediate level Vareynn classes when the story begins, and she’ll occasionally say things in Vareynn to Ignatius when she doesn’t want anyone else to understand.
Fact: I could talk about my characters forever.
** While the choice of who is in charge of the school is determined by the student body’s vote, Edward had enough of the student body in his thrall that the person he endorsed would be almost guaranteed victory. It was actually much closer than Ed expected (which is relevant to the story), but he still managed to get his way. Brian was a very distant third.
Question:
*** Ed! Three Ed!
Asked by prawnlegs
Answer:
*Edward Holt has a real gift for playing at politics. He knows how to inspire people, and has an authentic enthusiasm for his vision of things that’s infectious. He also knows when and how to be manipulative, underhanded, and ruthless without tarnishing his image. Instead of stamping out shady dealings and corruption, he knows how to turn it to his advantage. It’s all in service to the bigger picture. After leaving Renerra, he goes into politics and does quite well for himself.
*Ed’s greatest desire in life is to be loved, respected, and celebrated by as many people as possible. He would much rather be adored than feared, so he worked hard to cultivate an image with the student body as both “one of them” and an object of near worship. This does make him very susceptible to flattery and ego stroking.
* Ed is actually a bit of a misogynist. He tends to use women, falling in and out of “love” quickly because he gets bored and stops caring. He believes that most women are irrational and over-emotional, and therefore incapable of sound judgement. Most people don’t notice this because he’s so damn charming, but it’s actually kind of appalling.
for every * I get, I’ll post a fact about one of my characters
Since everyone is doing this, I’ll join the party. I’m not sure how many of you know/care enough about any of my characters to ask anything, but let’s see what happens!
(Source: sfemonster)
